Hundreds of thousands of people live with Anxiety disorders in one form or another.
By the time they seek treatment it has normally reached unmanageable levels for the individual and a visit to a doctor is the natural step.
However, the discussion with the doctor may not even include words like anxiety attack or panic attack.
It is more likely that the patient will describe stressful episodes, describe mood swings and confused thoughts or sleep disturbance patterns.
I have sympathy with the medical profession that often has to fumble in the dark, especially when it comes to cerebral or behavioral complaints.
In the hunt for a diagnosis the doctor may start digging into:
It is also known or thought that roughly 10% of people suffer from clinical depression, so it is not unreasonable for a medical professional to search down that path.
A trial prescription of an anti-depressant, coupled with a temporary anti anxiety medication is the most likely solution.
And they will seem to work! As mood and mind altering drugs they will effectively treat the symptoms.
The patient will experience temporary relief and confirm this in a follow-up visit to the doctor.
There are a number of issues that lead to such a misdiagnosis.
Not any of Anxiety, Panic, OCD or depression can be diagnosed by blood tests, or scans or any other physical diagnostic technique.
The medical professional has to rely on clues and definitive answers provided by the patient.
Western medical professionals will naturally turn to drugs as the easy answer...
and if they work, the diagnosis seems to be confirmed.
Anti-anxiety drugs are highly addictive and habit-forming, so an ethical professional will not prescribe them for long-term use.
Antidepressants treat the symptoms they do not cure the condition.
They also have severe side effects, some of which are to cause the many of the symptoms that identify the disease and sometimes cause the very condition they aim to treat, to the extent of suicidal tendencies! Clinical Depression, Severe Depressive disorder and Manic Depression are very different conditions from Anxiety Disorders, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders) and Panic Attacks and phobias.
Anxiety, Panic, OCD and several related phobias all have their roots in the same source, and over-responsive Amygdala.
This is a small organ in the brain that is responsible for our fight or flight response and the release of unnecessary adrenalin.
The effects of this over-responsiveness can be devastating to the quality of life of the sufferer, but it is easily cured.
Yes, cured and without drugs.
It is therefore of utmost importance that the condition is correctly diagnosed.
Even if one has both Depression and Anxiety, the latter can be cured and lesson the effect and severity of the depressive symptoms.
By the time they seek treatment it has normally reached unmanageable levels for the individual and a visit to a doctor is the natural step.
However, the discussion with the doctor may not even include words like anxiety attack or panic attack.
It is more likely that the patient will describe stressful episodes, describe mood swings and confused thoughts or sleep disturbance patterns.
I have sympathy with the medical profession that often has to fumble in the dark, especially when it comes to cerebral or behavioral complaints.
In the hunt for a diagnosis the doctor may start digging into:
- Sleep disturbance patterns.
- Libido issues
- Weight loss or weight gain and appetite changes
- General enthusiasm for life
- Questions around suicidal thoughts may come up
- Obsessive patterns like counting, nail-biting, skin picking or looking for symmetry
It is also known or thought that roughly 10% of people suffer from clinical depression, so it is not unreasonable for a medical professional to search down that path.
A trial prescription of an anti-depressant, coupled with a temporary anti anxiety medication is the most likely solution.
And they will seem to work! As mood and mind altering drugs they will effectively treat the symptoms.
The patient will experience temporary relief and confirm this in a follow-up visit to the doctor.
There are a number of issues that lead to such a misdiagnosis.
Not any of Anxiety, Panic, OCD or depression can be diagnosed by blood tests, or scans or any other physical diagnostic technique.
The medical professional has to rely on clues and definitive answers provided by the patient.
Western medical professionals will naturally turn to drugs as the easy answer...
and if they work, the diagnosis seems to be confirmed.
Anti-anxiety drugs are highly addictive and habit-forming, so an ethical professional will not prescribe them for long-term use.
Antidepressants treat the symptoms they do not cure the condition.
They also have severe side effects, some of which are to cause the many of the symptoms that identify the disease and sometimes cause the very condition they aim to treat, to the extent of suicidal tendencies! Clinical Depression, Severe Depressive disorder and Manic Depression are very different conditions from Anxiety Disorders, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders) and Panic Attacks and phobias.
Anxiety, Panic, OCD and several related phobias all have their roots in the same source, and over-responsive Amygdala.
This is a small organ in the brain that is responsible for our fight or flight response and the release of unnecessary adrenalin.
The effects of this over-responsiveness can be devastating to the quality of life of the sufferer, but it is easily cured.
Yes, cured and without drugs.
It is therefore of utmost importance that the condition is correctly diagnosed.
Even if one has both Depression and Anxiety, the latter can be cured and lesson the effect and severity of the depressive symptoms.